Will never use travel agency again

Ovation of the Seas Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5
Verified Review
Ovation of the Seas

7 Night Alaska (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 02, 2022

Ship: Ovation of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7110

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Nightmare trying to get everything coordinated and being forced to separate from our group from six cabins, which were all booked next to each other months ago. I ended up on the other side of the ship and on a different deck from my wife and kids. RCCL would say that the travel agency needed to fix the issues, and the travel agency would say that RCCL needed to fix the issues. Both groups promised stuff and then never actually did anything. Even on the cruise, I had to visit the customer service desk several times to try and resolve issues. I will never book though a travel agency again! Just another choke point that did not help resolve issues and caused literally hours and hours of extra phone calls.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Embarkation was smooth.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Fancy food that was decent, but not cooked well. We were excited to order something fancy and then it arrived and it was just OKAY.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5
Nickel and dimmed me to hell and back for everything imaginable.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Children's Programs

4 out of 5
Kids enjoyed the teen room and adventure room for younger kids.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
Our main dining waiting was petty. He was fine but provided sub-par service and significant wait times compared to the other waiter service the table next to us. We were all part of the same large group. At the end of the trip he said, "I know my service has been spotty, but I still expect you to give me a 10/10 review so I can get promoted". UGH. Room attendants were excellent and I tipped them accordingly.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Well kept.

Ship tip

Schedule the free iFly and other activities the second you get onboard or you will have to do what I did and pay hundreds of dollars for the activities when they are not free.

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

4 out of 5

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

5 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5

Sitka, Alaska

5 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5
It does not matter when you request to get off the ship if you are taking your bags off the ship. I learned this the hard way and had to be off the ship before 8AM.
Was this review helpful? 20

9 Comments

Lisaanddenny    1 year ago

How was cabin 7110? We are assigned this cabin next month

iCaptain    2 years ago

I understand, as that happened to me. I had the cruise company conference the travel agent. Took long time to resolve. Glad you at least enjoy the trip.

woody20    2 years ago

No matter if it’s a travel agent or not. You should have had your rooms picked out at booking to insure you were together. Don’t understand how this would change after you booked.

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Agree. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Cruiselovers70    2 years ago

We never book through a travel agent….always direct with RCCL.

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your Alaskan cruise in spite of the TA.

RetiredRay    2 years ago

That is what happens when you use a bulk booking agent instead of a real travel agent.

javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

kdlovescruising    2 years ago

Sorry that your travel agent didn't coordinate your rooms properly. I've always used one for our large group and always great. Aside from that it seems like you had a great time which is what matters most.

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